Kingdom Hearts: Reliving Oblivion Memories
by karl2822
Summary: Arriving back on Destiny Islands, Sora and friends find themselves taking on a whole new adventure. Revisiting old places and filling in the gaps of his memory, Sora finds himself alone as a mysterious cloaked figure separates him from his friends.
1. Chapter 1: A Gathering On The Beach

**Disclaimer: **_Kingdom Hearts_, _Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories_, _Kingdom Hearts II_, all names, characters, places, items and relevant plotlines are the property of _Square Enix_ and _Disney Interactive Studios_. The author does not profit in any way from this work.

* * *

_We've been away for so long already. Destiny Islands feels so... foreign. So many people have changed, and everyone looks different. Even Kairi grew her hair longer._

_I've been wondering, what does Mickey mean? He said he'll tell us when he arrives, but there's something I don't want. I don't want to have to go away. I don't want to be separated from Kairi and Riku again. If it's an adventure then I don't want to go._

_That's the thing about the Keyblades. They came with responsibilities. And I'm tired of what this responsibility brings. Loneliness._

_Yes, I may have Donald and Goofy, but they're not Kairi and Riku. I'm tired of all this adventuring. I just want to stay here._

_And be with them. Forever._

_-Sora._

* * *

"Hey, Riku?"

Sora turned to his side, facing the blue-haired boy beside him.

"Yes, Sora?" Riku asked.

"Did Mickey and the others say what time they were coming?" Sora inquired. They had been waiting for almost the whole morning.

Riku sighed, and sat up on the sand. "They just said they were coming today. Finé. Nothing else said. And he's King Mickey."

"I know, I know. I just wish they would hurry up, because my hair's getting sandy," Sora replied. "All this sand messes my hair."

"I didn't know you were that vain, Sora," Riku said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Who's the one who hid himself in a cloak to look cool?" Sora retorted. "Who keeps long hair and dyes it silver?"

"At least I'm not trying to get the attention of someone with extra-strong 'cement' in my hair," Riku smirked.

Sora sat up, ready to hit back with another remark, when –

"Sora! Riku!" quacked a loud voice from above. Sora and Riku recognised the familiar hum of the engine. With a loud swoosh, the great Gummi Ship flew over their heads.

"They're here, Riku!" Sora exclaimed. "Donald and Goofy and His Majesty!"

The two boys got up, shaking the sand from their clothes and hair.

"I'll head for the landing point!" Riku said. "You go tell Kairi they're here!" He began to dash off towards the other side of the island.

Sora nodded, running towards a small settlement of wooden huts. He headed for the one hut that he loved to visit. He pushed open the wooden door and walked in. A girl with flowing red hair was standing by the window, staring out at the beach. She turned around when Sora entered, and he found himself caught in the middle of his words.

"Hey, Sora." Kairi looked at him and gave him a smile.

"H—Hey!" Sora stuttered. For a moment, he stared blankly at Kairi, until she tapped his head.

"Yes, Sora. You were looking for me?" She asked. "What is it?"

He hurriedly regained his composure. "King Mickey and Donald and Goofy are here!" he exclaimed. "C'mon, let's go meet them!"

Kairi held out her hand. "You lead the way," she said.

Sora grasped her hand tightly, feeling the warmth of her fingers. He looked at Kairi, who was still smiling at him. Feeling pleased with himself, he started to run out of the shack, Kairi running after him, hand in hand.

A while later, Sora and Kairi arrived at the clearing in the middle of the little village. The Gummi Ship had landed in the middle of the clearing, and Riku and King Mickey were in deep conversation. However, before he could reach them, Donald and Goofy ran over to Sora, knocking him over with their fierce hugs.

"Sora!" Donald quacked. "Good to see you again!"

"Hyuck! It certainly is good!" Goofy added, pulling Sora into a tight bearhug, squeezing the air out of him. "How have you been?"

"Knock it off, guys!" a laughing Sora called out from beneath the stack. "I can hardly breathe!"

The three of them tussled around in the soft sand.

Pluto, who had kept a lonely Kairi company during her capture in the Castle That Never Was, was also equally happy to see his old friend again, his tale wagging eagerly.

"Pluto!" Kairi cried. She ran up to give him a hug, as he licked her face excitedly. "I missed you so!"

"Woof!" Pluto easily knocked Kairi over, licking her face without stopping, as Kairi laughed.

Even as the group of friends were having fun, Riku and the King were talking in an undertone.

"Your Majesty, why have you come for us?" Riku asked.

"There seems to be a little situation over at this place called Castle Oblivion," Mickey said. "A bunch of Heartless is reported in the vicinity. I also sense a dark aura around castle, and some people have claimed to see a person in a hooded cloak at night, entering and exiting the castle."

"Organisation XIII?" Riku asked. "I thought we defeated all of them in The World That Never Was. And that darkness..."

"Precisely," Mickey replied. He glanced at Sora, before speaking to Riku in an undertone. "I also think that Sora might be able to go back to Castle Oblivion and restore his memories."

Riku looked at Sora, who was presently chasing Donald and Goofy around the beach. "The chain of memories?" he said. "I'm not so sure about that... It might have a great impact on his mind." He clenched his fists. "All I know is that I'm going to clear that castle of the darkness. And if anyone steps in my way, I'll..."

"Whoa there, Riku!" Mickey exclaimed. "Don't get too caught up. I know what happened last time." He paused, then whispered, "Is the darkness still haunting you?

Riku looked out to the sea. "Every single moment," he replied forcefully. "It's only by their light that I'm kept sane," he said, gesturing at Sora and Kairi.

Mickey put a hand on Riku's shoulder, saying "You should learn to relax, Riku. Have some fun with them. Enjoy the time spent with them. It'll do your heart good."

Riku let out a sigh. "Yes, I'm trying. It's just that cold feeling... All the times I called myself Ansem..." He looked back at Sora, who was now rolling about in the sand, wrestling with Donald and Goofy in peals of laughter. "He's so happy. I hope this visit to Castle Oblivion won't destroy him."

Mickey let out a wry smile. "Well, you're not going to let that happen to him, are you?"


	2. Chapter 2: Alone Again, Naturally

_They're going again. Leaving me behind again._

_I hate this separation. I hate every single thing that separates me from them. Why can't I ever go along with them? Are they really worried about my safety?_

_Or are they just trying to rid themselves of responsibility?_

_There are some things I'll never know. I guess that certain things are just too hard to accept._

_Maybe they'll never know how much I want to be together with them. After all, they're just boys going out on an adventure, aren't they? After all the times we've spent together, after all the times we were separated, and even after all the times we found ourselves back together again._

_And they're going to leave. Just like that._

_We made a promise the last time, that if ever the forces of darkness rose again, we'd fight it together. As a team. I wonder if they remembered that promise they made._

_Blocking me out of their lives again makes me feel lonelier than ever. I don't want to have to go through those nights where I cry myself to sleep, thinking of him._

_I don't want to wait at the beach every single day just to see them appear over the glimmer of horizon._

_Alone again, naturally._

_-Kairi_

_

* * *

_

"Alright, people!" Mickey called. "Settle down, it's time to get to the business at hand!" The joyful reunion now over, everyone gathered in a circle around King Mickey. Everyone, except for Riku, who was leaning against a Paopu fruit tree a short distance away. Kairi sat beside Sora, who was eyeing Riku beadily, before turning his attention back to King Mickey.

"Your Majesty," addressed Sora, "what seems to be the matter? Your letter spoke of an extremely urgent situation."

"Well, Sora, I have good news — of some sort — and bad news too. Which would you like to hear first?"

Sora looked over at Riku, who gazed back at him without emotion, and at Kairi, who was staring listlessly at the sand in front of her. Sora took a deep breath, then said, "Good news first, or whatever good there is in it."

"Very well, Sora," King Mickey replied. "I believe that you could restore your lost memories."

Sora stood up in a hurry. "The lost memories? About Castle Oblivion and that Naminé girl?"

"Wack! The time when we forgot Hollow Bastion, what we were doing in the castle, and how Jiminy's Journal got all erased an—mpfgh!" Donald's beak was tightly clamped shut by Goofy, with a loud "Shh!" from him.

"Yes," Mickey replied. "I seem to have uncovered the location of the machine which she used to rechain your memories, which could also rechain your lost memories."

"That's great! I'll finally recover my memories entirely!" Sora gushed excitedly. He looked round at everyone, who was clearly sharing his elatedness, besides Riku, who was staring off into the distance, and Kairi, who looked up worried.

"Will he...forget us...again?" Kairi asked hesitantly.

All eyes were drawn to her. No one spoke for a moment. Then, Sora squatted down beside her and spoke to her tenderly.

"Kairi, you know that I will never forget you, no matter what."

"That's what you said the last time," she replied. "And then you got yourself lost in that castle, lost your memories, broke our chains of memories too, and nearly ruined all of us." She sounded close to tears.

Sora wrapped an arm around Kairi's shoulder. "It'll be alright. Riku's going with me, and he didn't forget me last time, did he?" With smooth sultry tones he reassured her, "We'll be fine, don't worry."

Kairi nodded, even if she didn't feel that way. She had to trust him, didn't she?

Turning back, Sora asked, "Now, the bad news."

"Well... We believe that an Organization XIII member is still alive," he said. Sora clenched his fist tightly, but said nothing. "Mickey continued, "Furthermore, Castle Oblivion seems to be teeming with a small swarm of Heartless."

"Heartless!" Sora exclaimed. "Then it's time to go." He looked round. "Riku, you ready?"

"What about me?" Kairi stood up. "I want to go too."

Sora placed two restraining hands on Kairi's shoulders. "Stay here on the Islands, and wait for us to return back."

"I'm a Keyblade-bearer too! I can slay the Heartless too, y'know," Kairi insisted indignantly. "Why won't you let me go!"

"Kairi, just stay here, we won't be long," Sora said. "We'll be back befo—"

"Forget it, Sora!" Kairi angrily replied. "I won't bother to ask you to let me go. I'll just —just...stay here!" Hot angry tears flowed down her cheeks. Sobbing uncontrollably, she ran off into the distance, back to her hut, where she shut her door with a resounding slam.

Sora stared motionlessly after her shadow, before dropping his shoulders. He turned round, trudging slowly towards Riku. "Let's draw the Keyblades," he deadpanned.

"Do not let your over protectiveness get the better of your friendship, Sora," Riku replied. He got up from leaning against the tree, saying to Mickey, "We're going to draw the Keyblades, Your Majesty."

"I'll be in the Gummi Ship, ready to take whenever you are," he replied. He then whispered, "Don't let the two of them get separated so easily, Riku. Try and piece them up."

Riku nodded his head, walking off towards the hill with Sora. Ascending to the top of the hill, he found Sora looking at the Keyblade Trinity, deep in thought. As he walked closer, Sora looked up.

"Do you remember, Riku?"

Riku nodded his head. "As if it were yesterday. Mickey had just left with Donald and Goofy, and we came up here." He stopped short, before continuing, "We made a promise, that the next time we drew our Keyblades, we would go together, the three of us."

"That's right," Sora replied. There was a pause, before he said, "Was I wrong in asking her to stay here?"

Riku sighed. "It's her own decision, Sora," he said. "It's up to her to decide what she wants to do. The least you could do as a friend is to be supportive."

Sora gazed away at the small hut in the distance. "Yes, but it's so hard to let her go," he lamented. Looking back at Riku, he caught Riku's cold, hard gaze at him. "What's the matter?" Sora asked.

"You ought to let her go," he said. "She's not your property, and you definitely have no right to decide if she goes or not."

"I... I..."

"Get a grip on yourself, Sora." Riku was visibly angry. "She isn't your younger sister, and she most definitely isn't your girlfriend. She's the same age as you and has probably gone through twice of the emotional struggle you went through during our journeys."

"I just can't bear to have her along," Sora reasoned weakly. "It's too dangerous."

"To her, nothing is too dangerous with you."

The statement caught Sora off-hand. He gaped at Riku.

"Yes, Sora," he said coldly. "In the spirit of adventure, you've failed to realize how safe she feels with us, especially you."

Sora remained silent. Riku stepped forward to the Keyblades. Grasping tightly, he pulled a sleek black Keyblade from the stone. The Way to the Dawn shimmered in the sunlight, exuding a twilight aura around it. He swung it a few times, as though unfamiliar with the weapon, before executing a few swift slashes in the air. Landing squarely on the ground, he shouldered the Keyblade, before walking off into the distance.

Before leaving, he said, "Sora. Don't get too protective of Kairi. It could be the one thing that'd spoil your relationship with her." He began to walk off towards the Gummi Ship. "We leave in half an hour's time. Be ready."

Sora nodded. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

In her hut, Kairi was sobbing uncontrollably. _That stupid Sora! _she thought. _How could he just force me into staying here?_ As rage overtook her, she flung herself down on the bed in rage. She suddenly felt a terrible urge to tear up things. Looking around, a picture on her side table caught her eye. It was the picture of the three of them. She picked it up gently.

There she was, in the middle, with Riku, expression indifferent, on her left, and Sora, arm on her shoulder, to her right. She was smiling with joy in the picture. _For all this was nothing but a façade_, she concluded. Tears began to well up in her eyes as sorrow filled her.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. She knew who it was, only that she would not get up. She would not answer either.

"Kairi! It's me, Sora," he called. "Can we please talk?"

"Go away!" she cried bitterly, although she dearly wanted to talk to him face to face right now.

"Kairi, please," Sora pleaded. "I just want to explain things."

In a fit of her anger, Kairi picked up the photo she was holding and flung it at the door. The photo frame shattered into fragments and scattered all over the floor.

"Well it's too late to explain!" she screamed. She threw herself backwards onto her bed, seething with fury. _Who is he to be explaining to me?_ she thought. _I don't need him to tell me what's right or what's wrong._

And suddenly she just started weeping. _I don't want to be left alone again!_ she wept in her heart.


	3. Chapter 3: Tender Hearted Angel

_There are some things in life which I still find hard to fathom. Like human emotions, for one. They are one of the most unpredictable things ever._

_I didn't know she was going to cry, and yet, I hate myself because I know that I was the one who made her cry._

_Riku said not to be overprotective, but I still have reserves about letting her come along. The many dangers that I face before, aren't they enough reason for me not to bring her along? I could be endangering her! Worse still, she could get captured again, just like in that castle the other time. And who knows what terrible things could happen to her this time?_

_But the time has come for me to make a decision. And despite the dangers, I know my mind will not be at rest until she comes along with this journey._

_Thing is, I'm terrible with words, and I'm not sure if she's so ready to accept my apology. A letter may not be the most effective way, but it seems to be the best way currently. Hopefully she'll accept it._

_Emotions over practicality... Whoever knew that I could be so emotional?_

_-Sora_

* * *

Sora heard the smashing of glass from outside the door, before hearing convulsed sobs from the hut within.

"What has she done now?" he sighed. Worried, he made his way round to the back window and found it open. Pushing aside the straw blinds, he found a distraught Kairi crawling amidst shattered glass on the floor, her hands badly cut.

"Kairi!" he yelled, leaping through the window. He raced over to her and bent down beside her. Scooping her into his arms, he carried her to the bed. Setting her down, he quickly examined her cuts, which were numerous, but were not deep and were superficial wounds.

"What happened?" Sora asked her, summoning his Keyblade at the same time. However, Kairi merely shook her head while tears continued to stream down her face.

Forcing himself to look at her arm, Sora pointed the Keyblade at her wounds. "Heal," he murmured. Kairi's arm was bathed in a green glow of light while the wounds on it slowly closed up and disappeared, leaving a flawless arm behind. The Keyblade melted away into nothingness as Sora walked up towards the bed and sat gingerly on the edge of it.

"So tell me," his voice tender, "what happened?"

Kairi sniffed a little, and then whispered, "Photo."

Sora turned around and looked at the mess of glass on the floor. Among the shattered fragments was a piece of paper, which he assumed to be the photo. He walked over and pushing aside the glass fragments carefully, he picked up the photograph and flipped it.

"It's the photo we took when we came back from our adventure. When we had promised never to leave each other again." Sora realized. He held it in his hands for a moment, before handing it back to Kairi, who received it silently.

Sora grabbed a broom and a dustpan, saying, "Best to clean all this glass up, in case someone else suffers a similar fate."

Silently, Kairi watched as Sora swept up every single piece of glass, all the while her thoughts on the photo.

"_We agreed never to let each other go alone again. We agreed to always be together after this. And we made a promise, a promise so dear to me that it'd break me if he doesn't keep that promise. Right on that day, when we set our Keyblades—_"

"Umm, Kairi?" Sora's voice broke her thoughts. She looked up.

"I have a little something for you to read," he said. Shuffling a little on the spot, he continued, "You may not feel like reading it right away, but I hope you do so soon, because it could change everything." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

"Please, do read it as soon as possible," he said. Kairi looked into those eyes... They were almost pleading with her. Slowly, she reached out and took the letter from his hands.

"Please leave now," Kairi said, her expression unreadable. Sora took a last look at her, before turning around. Throwing open the door, he fought the urge to run to Kairi and beg her to come with him...

"S–sora?"

He turned around. Kairi was looking at the floor.

"Thank... thank you for helping with the mess and my arm."

Sora nodded, then headed out the hut, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Kairi took a glance down her arm. The bandage was neatly wrapped around her arm. Sora had certainly done a good job in patching her arm up. She then held up the piece of parchment Sora had given to her. With a wistful sigh, she unfolded the parchment and began to read.

"_Dear Kairi, Riku has prompted me to do some thinking about this whole adventure thing, and I've tried to find excuses to keep you away from harm. You see, I'm afraid that I could lose you once again if I bring you along with me for this journey._

"_Remember the time in the Castle That Never Was? All you had was Pluto to keep you company. I could feel your pain right from outside the castle, as I knew that you were there, waiting for me to come for you, yet so scared that I would never be able to make it to you. The thought of it just made my heart ache, and also afraid of being unable to save you, just like that time at Hollow Bastion. You were so... lifeless..._

"_It's these thoughts that made me try to stop you from going. I'm lonely without you as well, and I missed you so badly the whole time I was away. But the danger that you face is like nothing ever before. I don't even know what we're up against this time round. This castle once took my memories away and made me forget you; if they took your memories away I don't know what would happen."_

"_I'm lonely without you as well. I really want you to come along. I'm just afraid that I won't be able to protect you. However, Riku told me that you were still a Keyblade-bearer, and that this fight is as much yours as it is ours. That's why I realized that I shouldn't stop you if you want to go."_

"_At the very least, I can be there to protect the Princess of Heart..."_

Kairi looked up from the letter and thought back to the time when her heart had left her and fused with Sora's. She closed her eyes, looking back to the time when she saw through Sora's eyes and witnessed his struggle to reach her, only to find that he had to sacrifice his heart for her, turning into a Heartless while her heart returned to her body. How he willingly stabbed himself to release her heart…

He wasn't being selfish. He knew she was lonely. But she also realized how much he cared for her. And now he had even let her come along.

She was afraid she'd get into their way. But she also didn't want to be away from him. It's a big leap of faith, but it's something she wanted to do.

No, it was what she must do.

She got off the bed. Her arm still stung, but she realized that it was nothing compared to what he had probably gone through while he was away from her.

_It's time to go now__._

* * *

Riku watched as Sora climbed the hill to the Keyblade Trinity, hands in his pockets. Shoulders slumped, Riku could probably guess what had happened. He continued watching as Sora grasped the Kingdom Key within his hand. Pulling it out of the rock, he held it up in front of him, before flinging it out to sea. It flew in a wide arc, before spiraling back, where he jumped up and caught it neatly.

Continuing into a dodge roll, he practiced a series of slashes, before rocketing off the hill, bringing the Keyblade down with him. As he landed, a palm tree split into half.

Panting heavily, he stood up and looked behind him, before recalling his Keyblade. He walked back towards the Gummi Ship was parked.

"Is she coming?"

Sora turned around. Riku had stepped out from under a Paopu tree. Sora replied nonchalantly.

"No."

"Did you two argue?" Riku raised his eyebrows.

"No." Sora turned back to walk on.

"Then?" Riku walked forwards.

Sora stopped in his tracks. He bent his head, searching for a way to reply Riku. _Anything but the truth_, he thought.

"I gave her a choice."

"Then the choice is hers. Let's go." Riku walked up the ramp to the Gummi Ship and disappeared through the entrance. "Some preparations, then we leave in five."

Sora turned around, hesitating, half-hoping, half-expecting Kairi to run forwards. His head hung down, he ran up the ramp, blinking back tears that threatened to betray him.


End file.
